[Film] Before Dawn (2012) Review

Back in Blighty for this one. Emmerdale's most loved character Paddy (Dominic Brunt) stars in and directed Before Dawn. I thought it wasn't going to be that good, but that was judging a book its cover. It's actually a quality film, although the first zombie is seen 40 minutes in and the first zombie kill was just over an hour into it, it is still a really good film. A couple go for a weekend away to work on their marriage, however this remote getaway takes a turn for the worse when zombies start appearing. Because it is set in the countryside in the middle of no where it kind of keeps the suspicion going.

The graphics are just as good as anything I've seen. The bits of gore that are in the film are some of the heaviest scenes of gore I've seen in some films. The zombies are actually quite scary, especially because they are fast too.

Overall a very good watch, with an ending that I did not expect. People will presume it is a crap budget film but all I can say is give it a chance.

The Walking Dead Graphic Novel Volume #22, A New Beginning

I've been long awaiting this considering it came out around a month of so before Christmas, so I'm probably a little late on this review. However, the story is definitely changing and things are going in all new directions.

I don't want to give away spoilers and Volume #22 is great, but I can't help feeling like I'm drifting away from the storyline and I'm starting to forget since around volume #18. I'm not confused, I know what happening and there are a wealth of new characters. I guess I'm wondering where this is going to go, I think I'm sad that the main group have split up and it's strange for me to follow their new lives separately. A certain someone, one of my favourite characters isn't in Volume #22, although they are mentioned, so their circumstances in the post- apocalyptic world are presumed, once you refer back to what they were doing in he previous novels.

There's one set out dialog that will get you thinking. I suppose it reminds me of George Romero's 'Land Of The Dead' however... You find out more towards the end. This is the first scene in which you think 'what?!':

Now I just eagerly await Volume #23.

Merry Zombimas!!

Hope everybody had a lovely Christmas and got many Zombie gifts to enjoy!

My family and friends know that I'm zombie mad so they didn't lack when it came to zombie-themed presents. The gifts I got were amazing!!

I received two amazing books - 'The Mammoth Book Of Zombies' edited by Stephen Jones which includes 26 stories all revolving around zombies. The second book I got was 'Can You Survive The Zombie Apocalypse?' by Max Brallier.

My favourite animals are penguins so I got this cool t-shirt with a zombie penguin on it.

I received five graphic novels to add to the collection, these are:

Night Of The Living Dead: Aftermath Volume 1 by David Hine and German Erramousepe
Night Of The Living Dead: Aftermath Volume 2 by David Hine, Ernesto Chaparro & Thomas Aira
The Walking Dead: Volume 22 by Robert Kirkman, Charlie Adlard, Stephano Guadiano & Cliff Rathburn
Toe Tags featuring George A. Romero with Tommy Castillo & Rodney Ramos
Empire Of The Dead by George A. Romero

I was so happy because a couple lovely people bought me seven Funko Pops from The Walking Dead series. These included:

Prison Rick Grimes
Penny
Michonne & Her Pets (PX Previews Exclusive) 3 set
Carl Grimes
Maggie Greene

I am so chuffed because this means I am one away from completing the set (one of each character, sod getting every single one) that I wish to achieve and that guy is The Woodbury Walker! Can't wait to nab him somewhere. I also love the Michonne three set! It's amazing!

I got a cool version of 'Where's Wally' but this ones called 'Where's The Zombie' by Paul Moran. It's such a cool book and I was so pleased when I got it, it made me laugh. I love it.

Finally, I got three DVDs:

Before Dawn (film)
In The Flesh series 1 & 2
The Walking Dead series 4

[Documentary] Birth Of The Living Dead (2014) Review

A couple of weeks ago I was walking around HMV looking for Carl Sagan's Cosmos and by chance I managed to spot this new release titled 'Birth Of The Living Dead.' It's a really cool documentary about the origins of Romero's 'Night Of The Living Dead.'

The documentary gives insight into the history of the sixties regarding the Vietnam War and the Civil Rights Movement. This shows what the audience of the sixties felt about this film and especially when it came to a black man being the hero. The meaning behind this film goes so much deeper into the social context of the time. There's a political aspect to this sub-culture, underground film. As Romero states, the main character, Ben, was not written with a race in mind, they purely hired Duane  because he was a great guy.

Romero has a good sense of humour in this documentary and he made me laugh a lot, making me so glad I met him as he's obviously a decent bloke. I love is hippyish use of the word 'man' and he explains how ten of them chucked in $600 each and managed to make a movie. All cast members being family and friends and people they have previously worked with. They managed to beat the odds - budget, being a black and white film and not being well known film makers.

A mad fact is that nobody knows how much money it has made. They received no royalties for this film due to copyright issues. Somebody forgot the copyright sign in the opening credits!

If you get this, there's still scenes after the credits. It's a great companion alongside the film, definitely recommend it.

The Walking Dead - Season 5, Episode 8. Mid-Season Finale

We all knew something big was going to happen but wow. I was sort of expecting it but I did not expect it to hit me that hard and actually make me cry.

What a brilliant episode and I hope everyone watches the bit after the credits.

I can not believe it if I'm honest. And I can not believe we have been waiting since February to watch Season 5 and now we have to wait until February again to watch the next half.

This has been an amazing season so far and I'm really liking where they are going with this. I guess now these posts will start up again in February. I honestly can't wait.

The Walking Dead - Season 5, Episode 7

I found this episode just as slow as the last but, I'm glad it incorporated parts of everybody - excuse the pun - at least we know where everyone stands.

The zombies in this episode were disgustingly gross, they are so good at special effects, which really adds to making the show feel real.

We can definitely see a huge change in Rick, I hope he doesn't become a bad guy. I doubt it, though.

The Walking Dead - Season 5, Episode 6

This episode was very slow. It's based on when Carol and Daryl followed that car to go looking for Beth. They bump into a certain someone from two episodes ago, and that's pretty much it.

I like how we see the city and how desolate and destroyed it looks - amazing graphics, imagine actually being there.

It has been so bloody long since we have seen Rick and I won't deny - I'm worried, and so wanting to know what is going on with his lot. Did he follow Abraham? Or have they made another choice? Guess we will have to wait.

The Walking Dead - Season 5, Episode 5

What an episode.

So we are still stuck on the two cliff hangers left from the two previous weeks, but this episode was great.

It was quite slow compared to the previous four episodes, but we follow Abraham and his mob on their journey to DC. We also find out Abraham's life story and a little secret about Eugene (if you have read the comics, you can probably guess it).

After three cliff hangers, I'm hoping next week all three, or at least one of them is wrapped up.

Eager for next weeks now!!! Hoping we see a bit more of Rick... And Carol.

The Walking Dead - Season 5, Episode 4

The cliff hanger from episode 3 is still looming around in our head, but episode 4 was completely mind blowing. At least we know what is going on with Beth and where she is - don't worry, no spoiler, you know this from the beginning of the episode. It's all based on Beth and it's a really intense episode. My heart was actually racing, it has been a lot throughout series 5 - I think it's the most tense season yet.

The cliff hanger of this episode, though, is like none other. I couldn't believe what I saw, which makes me more nervous when it comes to next weeks episode. Hopefully all works out in episode 5 but knowing the producers anything could happen and I hope it doesn't turn for the worst. 

Halloween - London Bridge Experience - Zombie Elephant Plush

For Halloween I was taken to The London Dungeons which was absolute brilliant. It goes through the history of London in the goriest ways, with a little boat ride that I was too scared to open my eyes on. Because we had so much fun we decided to continue the outing and we went to the London Bridge Experience. Similar to the Londom Dungeons, you get the history of London Bridge - which is so very gruesome. Then you enter the 'Tombs' which is just a scare fest - and blimey it was scary. Even though the London Dungeons was brilliant, I felt the London Bridge Experience with The Tombs was better and scarier. I would definitely recommend both these places - especially if you love horror.

Now onto the part regarding zombies. In the London Bridge Experience gift shop I found a bunch of zombie plushes which were so amazing - I wanted them all. But, I opted for the zombie elephant, he was bigger and had cooler additions to him than the others, but was still the same price.

A really cool thing is that if you pull his fez, his little peanut brain pops out! I thought this was a great idea and it was the thing that swayed me to buy him. Plus, I just really love elephants. Secondly, he has a detachable dead mouse stuck to his foot, quite a well thought out addition. He has a little hand/gloving missing and his trunk is sort of, cut in half, so you can put your finger in it! He's an amazing plush and he is made by the company Animazombs if anyone wants to get one!

The Walking Dead - Season 5, Episode 3

Was anybody expecting that?! It's getting so brutal lately, we can definitely see a change in Rick from Series 1, Episode 1, to now. He's a completely different man, and that gives Andrew Lincoln credit for his acting.

The end was left on a cliff hanger too, how are we supposed to wait a week to find out what the hell is going on?

This series is going so quick, so much has happened in only three episodes. It's madness! Can't wait for next week.

George A. Romero Autograph And Picture - Now Framed!

Meeting George A. Romero was one of the best experiences of my life and I'm so glad I did it. Getting my picture with him and his autograph will be a memory that I will never, ever forget. Because this memory means so much to me, I really wanted to frame the autograph and the picture, but I couldn't find a frame that would fit these two objects in perfectly, and a custom frame would have been too expensive.

So, I went to Homebase and bought a 50cm x 40cm frame, with my staff discount it came to £7.99 and I then drove to Hobbycraft and bought an A1 piece of black card, which was the smallest bit of card which could be made to fit into the frame, all of the other cards were too small, plus I really needed a sturdy bit of card - not flimsy paper. I also got some masking tape which all in all came to £3.00.

I cut the card down to 50cm x 40cm and cut out two square 'frames' within the card in order to fit the autograph and the picture. I used my math skills - which I'm not great at - to get the positioning right. I cut everything with a Stanley knife and a ruler to make sure it was straight.

And here is the end product:

To be honest, I'm very proud of it.

If I can do it, anyone can, and it's a nifty way of making your own custom frame. It didn't even cost that much either - £10.99 not bad for a custom frame if I say so myself.

MCM Expo - 26/10/2014 - Zombie Haul

This was the convention that I had been looking forward to the most. It's absolutely huge and considering it is only at the Excel in London, it's about a 20 minute drive from my house, so that's what we do. Driving there is so much better than public transport, parking is dear, but it's about the price of two train fares there so, I'd rather drive.

Funny story about this convention, we bought priority tickets for the Saturday, but there was still a massive queue, so we ended up walking through the car park and right round the back, down these corridors and managed to sneak ourselves in. We ended up walking behind this stage and there were guards with walkie talkies but we just walked like we knew where we were going and they didn't even question us. So woo, we avoided queues. Bit naughty, but worth it.

So we walked in and it was much bigger than May this year. There were two full halls of merchandise and celebrities and so much to look at. It was so amazing, as were the cosplays that people turned up in. I just love the atmosphere there.

So, overall, I got quite a few zombie things to add to my collection.

I got:
Funko Pop! Walking Dead - Merle Dixon
Funko Pop! Walking Dead - Tyreese
Funko Pop! Walking Dead - Prison Glenn
Funko Pop! Walking Dead - Well Walker
Funko Pop! Walking Dead - Teddy Bear Girl

DEAD ALL OVER Zombie Chewbacca print

The Walking Dead canvas print - yes, another, but this one is cool, they have the comic characters, bicycle girl and then all the actors and actresses that portray the comic characters. Really cool stuff.

Also got a couple things that were not zombie related.

It got really, really packed. This kind of ruined it, because one, there was no space to move, let alone look at stuff, and two, all your stuff could have got squashed because there were so many people.

If you like the zombie Chewbacca print you can get one from http://www.deadallover.co.uk it's really cool, the artist limits his prints so there aren't many of them in circulation. Zombie Chewbacca is limited to 30 prints. There are many other great characters turned into zombies in his prints.

Anyway, here are my zombie buys for the day:

The Walking Dead - Season 5, Episode 2

I thought this episode was going to be a bit slow compared to the first one, considering how fast paced and action packed episode one was, but well, that was a lie. I appreciated the 'St Sarah's Church' bit, you gotta love seeing your name on television, especially in one of your favourite shows.

Loved the introduction of the new character, who we have all previously met in the comics. However the storyline is very, very similar to the comics so I wonder if we can predict what's going to happen? Or if they are going to completely throw us off?

Well, that's all I'm going to say because I hate spoliers. I think everyone does, don't they?

Winter London Film And Comic Convention - 18/10/14 - Zombie Haul

Today I went to the London Film and Comic Convention in Earls Court. Same place where I went in July and the same place where I met Romero, unfortunately this time there wasn't many cool zombie guests that I wanted to meet, which I didn't mind - saves me money!

Last time I went it was packed and disgustingly overcrowded but this time there were barely any people, so I had a good look at all the stalls there, bonus!

So all the goodies I got today are Walking Dead related, I'm not complaining and to be honest, there wasn't any other zombie stuff there really - except for an overpriced pillow.

I managed to get my hands on a Walking Dead print for £7 which I'm really happy about, I'm going to put it above my bed.

To add to my Funko Pop! Walking Dead collection, which I can't wait to complete, (well, until they bring out the sixth series of the pops), I got the RV Walker which was the last one there, there was another but the box was bashed up. I also got the Prison Guard Walker, the lovely Herschel and my favourite lady, Carol. The thing I like about getting Pops! at conventions is that you can check out the paint work before you buy it, some of the paint work is really shoddy which sucks.

I'm really happy with what I got today and next week I'll be driving to the Excel for another con - MCM! I can't wait, I've been saving for these cons and now I can fuel my zombie addiction - one Saturday after the other!

The Walking Dead - Season 5, Episode 1

Oh my god!!! How tense was that episode?! The first five minutes were just filled with blood and the whole episode just got gorier. I really do think they have heightened the effects and most definitely, the gore factor. Did anybody notice we see the guy that Rick and Carol met in the house and we all thought 'what on earth was that scene about?' I won't give spoilers but keep an eye out for it. It's really early in the episode, too.

It was more like Season 4's finale than the start of Season 5.

I still can't get over how much Eugene and Abraham look like their characters in the comics.

When watching it, wait until after the credits, there's a scene after them which you won't want to miss.

What a brilliant episode, I can't wait for next week!!

Britain Is Actually Prepared For A Zombie Apocalypse

Who would have thought it, reserved, 'we don't think zombies are real, that's preposterous', little old Britain is prepared for a possible attack by zombies.

Let's be honest here, we do have a pretty good advantage as it is. Geographically we couldn't really have a better location, we are an island and islands are surrounded by water, obviously, this is a huge advantage for us, we close the borders, close the airports, no one comes in, if you go out, you can't come back and we are pretty much sorted, the virus cannot spread to a country if its borders are closed... Unless we have zombies that can walk under water, or swim. Then we are sort of screwed.

We do have big, hefty, strong buildings which a zombie most definitely could not get into. Take Greenwich University for example. Big, strong buildings, surrounded by gates and fences and the Thames at one side for an escape route, or trade route via water. Sorted. Although, Greenwich is a densely populated area, so that would be a bit risky.

We do have countryside though. Miles and miles of grass and fields and forest. If you're a farmer, you have a chance - you need big fences though. Our land is very fertile too, we are able to grow crops to harvest, potatoes especially, as potatoes are the vegetables that keep people alive - it's true, we found that out in the 1500s when Columbus 'discovered' the New World. But unfortunately, our land isn't as good as the Americas, so they sort of one upped us there.

Another thing, England is full of underground bunkers from World War 1 and World War 2. We even have bunkers from when we feared a nuclear attack. They're probably haunted, but I guess that would be least of our worries.

Britain has an advance knowledge of filtration, plumbing and sanitation systems. I mean, we practically invented them. This would ensure clean water for everybody. Hooray.

We have medicine, raid the right places and you're in for a treat. There's a pharmacy on every corner, shame it's not the same for hospitals though.

The Minsitry Of Defence stated that 'in the event of an apocalyptic incident (eg zombies), any plans to rebuild and return England to its pre-attack glory would be led by the Cabinet a Office, and thus, any pre-planning activity would also taken place there.' And that their role would be to provide military support to civilians.

Read about it and Bristols plans here: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/9721072/Britain-is-well-prepared-to-fight-apocalyptic-zombie-invasion.html

TWD - Tank Zombie Funko Pop!

Another addition to my Walking Dead Funko Pop! collection - Tank Zombie!

I'm an in the box collector so I don't take them out the box and have a good look around but from what I can see the art work is great and I love it, he's such a cool zombie from one of The Walking Dead's most iconic scenes and now I have him to display on my Zombie shelf!!

Zombieland 2 Announced

Finally! It's been 5 years since we saw the gang traipse around America trying to find safety and a new home in post-apocalyptic America. To me, this is the Zombie genre's funniest zombie film so I'm well chuffed that they've announced a second, why wouldn't you be?

Hopefully they get the whole cast back, that would be cool.
A Bill Murray cameo is a must.

I'm looking forward to this.

Read more here: http://www.cinemablend.com/new/Zombieland-2-Actually-Happening-Here-Latest-67465.html

The Walking Dead Companion Series - Characters Revealed

It has been announced that The Walking Dead's companion series has a few characters they have decided to base it on. Two families and another lady called Andrea.

"SEAN CABRERA | A Latino male in his early 40s, Sean is a good man trying to do right by everyone in his life.

CODY CABRERA | Sean’s whip-smart and rebellious teenage son. Known as the angriest kid in town.

NANCY TOMPKINS | A thirtysomething single mom to two kids, Nancy looks like the girl next door, but there’s an edge to her.

NICK TOMPKINS | Nancy’s screwed up teenage son. He’s too old to stay home, too scared to flee.

ASHLEY TOMPKINS | Nancy’s mostly level-headed teenage daughter. Her ambition is in direct proportion to her older brother’s failures. She loves her mom but it’s time to get out of Dodge.

ANDREA CHAPMAN | A somewhat wilted flower child, fortysomething Andrea — yep, another Andrea! — has retreated to the outskirts of the city to recover after a horrible marriage."

Information from http://screencrush.com/the-walking-dead-spinoff-companion-series-cast-characters-setting/ as quoted.

I've also heard rumours that it'll be set in Kansas, fair enough. How ironic considering they are current in their 'Zombie Preparedness Month'.

It'll be cool to see a new bunch of characters in a different part of the U.S.A. surviving and battling the apocalypse, I believe it will start from the beginning of the apocalypse, so it'll sort run side by side the mother series. 

I appreciate the fact they used the name 'Andrea' twice, they are right, if everybody had a different name it would be pretty unrealistic. 

I must say I am looking forward to this.

Are You Ready? TWD Season 5

I cannot wait.

Pentagon Has 'Zombie Survival Plan'

It's interesting to read about how many official zombie survival plans there actually are, even if they are actually referring to natural disasters, the survival of a zombie apocalypse has actually been considered.

It turns out that if you live in the U.S. you're in a nation that has an official plan that does specifically refer to zombies and has stated a disclaimer within the plan that 'this plan was not actually designed as a joke'.

Referred to as CONOP 8888 the plan insists to 'preserve the sanctity of human life' amongst all of the 'non-human zombies'. Many people claim that this is a waste of tax payers money blah blah blah, but come on now, a 'zombie' apocalypse is actually possibly given the right 'ingredients' per se. They are just looking out for our well being, a plague might just irrupt and totally crush every thing that we see as normal today, then who would be complaining that the government should have had a plan?

You can read the PDF too which you'll find in the article below.

Link: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2629064/The-Pentagons-guide-surviving-zombie-apocalypse-US-military-outlines-plans-deal-undead-chickens-space-invaders-VEGETARIANS.html

Preparedness 101: Zombie Apocalypse (CDC)

I know this was 2011, but this blog is only a few months old. Following the recent Kansas Zombie Preparedness, it triggered my memory into remembering Preparedness 101. Just because it's 2011, doesn't mean it isn't still relevant.

The Centres For Disease Control And Prevention released a blog in order to guide us and help us be prepared for the Zombie Apocalypse. Similarly to Governor Sam Brownback of Kansas, the message is more of being prepared for any natural disaster, although a zombie apocalypse could just be one of them.

The thing is, people are just so much more interested in zombies than say, hurricanes. Because zombies are indeed popular culture, the CDC and alike feel they will engage many more readers and people in general through the use of zombies rather than pumping out the same old information people have heard before about hurricanes, tornados and so forth.

It was released due to people being worried about the possibility of a zombie type apocalypse because of the radiation fears in Japan. Now there's another idea, radiation fuelling the zombie apocalypse.

Read more here: http://www.foxnews.com/health/2011/05/18/cdc-warns-public-prepare-zombie-apocalypse/

CDC Blog: http://blogs.cdc.gov/publichealthmatters/2011/05/preparedness-101-zombie-apocalypse/

CDC Novella on Preparedness 101: http://www.cdc.gov/phpr/zombies_novella.htm

Kansas Prepares For The Zombie Apocalypse

The Governor of Kansas, Sam Brownback, recently declared that October shall now be 'Zombie Preparedness Month' stating that if anyone is prepared for a zombie apocalypse, they are pretty much prepared for any natural disaster that is yet to come.

Quite a few authority figures have mentioned zombie apocalypse and the need to be prepared. What on earth is going on that we don't know about?

It wouldn't surprise me that there are underground laboratories mixing up viruses that they shouldn't be which would could possible create a zombie like virus. The government will hide anything and everything from us, is this one of them? *Conspiracy Theory*

Maybe we should buck up and take their advice, start stock piling food, water, clothes and weapons...and any other essentials that we need.

Read more:  http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/11121755/How-Kansas-prepares-for-the-Zombie-apocalypse.html

Human Flesh Burgers At A Pop Up Terminus In London!

Inspired by the Season Finale of The Walking Dead's last season, Season 4, a London chef has decided to created a 'burger that tastes like human flesh'.

Chef James Thomlinson referred to the testimonials of cannibals on what they thought human flesh tastes like. He will be mixing 'veal, chicken livers, bone marrow and pork' to create the taste of human meat. He will be creating a scecret, pop up Terminus somewhere in East London and if people want to go and grab a free flesh burger they will have to follow the Chef on Twitter and use #terminustavern to find out where the destination is along the way. This will be happening next Tuesday, the 30th of September. Unfortunately I will be having a long day of University lectures in South London. 

I guess I am in two minds about this, one, I think if you actually want to experience what human flesh tastes like you must have something strange going on inside your head. But on the other hand it's quite a quirky, original idea that gives zombie lovers the opportunity to have a close-to-apocalypse experience. I would like to check it out but I would feel rather weird about tasting the burger, I think I'd need some convincing.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2766727/Do-want-fr-eyes-Chef-creates-burgers-taste-like-human-FLESH-using-hand-accounts-cannibalism-flavour-close-possible.html#ixzz3EQHaCchh 

Ebola Victims 'Rise From The Dead' ?!

Okay so, anyone who has a television or access to the internet should know about the outbreak of Ebola amongst African countries. It has recently been reported that two victims of the virus have 'risen from the dead' just before they were about to be taken to burial. Both these cases were women, but they were however, in different villages.

Being a zombie maniac I'm surely not the only one who automatically thought of zombies when I saw this news article, right?

No, they are not cannibalistic and rising from the dead to eat the living, but this whole process of dying and coming back, is halfway defining a zombie.

As a zombie fan I of course have my theory of how the zombie apocalypse would happen, and of course, my zombie survival plan. My theory consistes of a virus, like Ebola, being spread. More like a mutated version of Ebola, along with rabies possibly and of course airborne too. My theory is that some idiot in a lab tested the wrong thing, mixed the wrong viruses and hey presto, created a super virus which causes a major plague, if you wish, and 'kills off' the majority of the population. Only the living have to defend themselves from these zombie like 'people' - who are zombie like purely because of the culmination of viruses in their system and the symptoms of these viruses causing havoc to no end. That's just my theory in short.

The news article is from a trusted, (as trusting as a newspaper can get) source. It came from one of the UK's top, respected newspapers - The Mirror.

Read the article here: http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/ebola-victims-african-village-rise-4320414

In all fairness, I'm quite worried about how this is all going to pan out.

[Books] Finally Finished Reading TWD's The Governor Books

Tonight I finally finished reading the amazing books written by Robert Kirkman and Jay Bonansinga. These books are absolutely brilliant. I loved them and I wished there were more to read.

Following the comic book story line from The Governor's and Lilly Caul's point of view, it makes things a lot easier in understanding the feelings of the people of Woodbury when it came to the people living in the prison. From this side you can see where they came from and what they were being told, no wonder they went along with The Governor.

In Rise of the Governor, we get to see where it all started for Phillip Blake. How he adjusted to the apocalypse and what he did to survive and how he came to be the leader of Woodbury.

In The Road to Woodbury we meet Lilly Caul and we get chapters from her point of view, we see how she becomes a strong character and I really like her character. She is in the comics too and we follow her until the fourth book.

In The Fall of the Governor, Part One, we come across the characters we know and love, Glenn, Rick and Michonne, we see their ordeal through The Governor's eyes.

And finally, in The Fall of the Governor, Part Two, we see the final face off between two certain characters, and that's all I'm going to say.

I previously wrote a post about these books before I finished reading them, check it out: http://thestrollingunwell.blogspot.co.uk/2014/07/twd-special-governor-books.html

These books are outstanding and I enjoyed them so much!! They are full of emotion as you put yourself in the shoes of the character. I one hundred percent recommend these to anybody.

I now have him to sit with his books.

[Film] World War Z (2013) Review

I decided the watch the film first, rather than read the book.

Many of my friends said that this film wasn't really worth the while to sit and watch, and that it was a bit, well... crap.

I actually thought it was really interesting. I thought it was an excellent, high budget film and totally worth the watch. The story line was brilliant and original in many ways, Brad Pitts's character, his job, what he has to do, the ending was a good 'twist' that we wasn't expecting.

My only complaint for such a high budget film was the lack of on screen kills and gore. There was barely any blood in this film and a zombie fan does enjoy the skull cracking, head popping, gore filled shots, let's be honest here. We love the nitty gritty, flesh ripping, blood soaked zombies. But for a film rated 15, what was I expecting?

So perhaps, if you enjoy zombies but dislike the gore factor, this film is 100% made for you. On the other hand, of you're a hardcore zombie lover, this is a film to add to your collection which you wouldn't be embarrassed about - because it is actually a quality film.

TWD - The Governor Funko Pop!

I have almost completed reading The Governor books, the extra, actual books alongside the graphic novels. I am 9 chapters away from finishing the last book. When I am finished I shall write an overall review.

Anyway, because of these books I've been wanting to get my hands on The Governor Funko Pop! To sit alongside them. Yesterday I went into Forbidden Planet in Tottenham Court Road and there he was! Students get 10% off in there which is great so I bagged him for £8.99! Bargain. I'm hoping to collect all of The Walking Dead Pops, however I don't want to get doubles. For instance, the Glenn figure that is coming out in October is so much better than the first Glenn, so I'll just get him.

What's good about The Walking Dead Pops, they have their exclusives, granted, but you can get your hands on at least one of every character (that's out so far) guaranteed, not one character is an exclusive only which is pretty good, so hopefully I'll be getting some of these across the next few months.

Well, here he is, in all his glory:

My Geek Box Subscription - September's Theme: Apocalypse! (Unboxing)

My Geek Box is a monthly subscription package to all things geeky. From £14.99 (depending what plan you pick - monthly, three months etc) you will receive one box each month filled to the brim with £40 worth of stuff related to that months theme, this includes a limited edition t-shirt.

The site is really cool and easy to use. If this sounds like something you would like to do, you can check it out on their site right here: https://www.mygeekbox.co.uk

They ship to the United Kingdom, America and Europe. So if you're interested you do have a chance to get it!

I subscribed in August because My Geek Box announced that September's theme was Apocalypse! To me that was perfect as this theme includes a huge possibility for Zombie goodies which are my favourite, and of course will add to my zombie collection. Being a zombie/apocalypse themed blog I thought I'd share the experience of unboxing.

Below are pictures of my unboxing and short review of each item. This shall be fun!

Here is how it arrived:

When I opened the box there was a second box, this box is way cooler! I appreciate the first box, it protects everything inside nicely and the actual Geek Box itself is much less likely to get damaged.

The first thing I pulled out was My Geek Box's new magazine. To be honest, I like it, they write that it is a completely free extra and a thank you. It's got reviews and all sorts. Good stuff.

The second was a flyer, related to this months theme, a flyer for a Zombie Survival Experience. This is so amazing as I've always wanted to go to one, and with this little flyer My Geek Box has managed to get us a hefty 10% off. Thank you My Geek Box!

World War Z by Max Brooks! A book that I've been wanting to add to my zombie collection but haven't got round to getting yet. Well, looks like I don't have to worry now. I haven't seen the film yet although I did recently buy it on DVD. This is great though, now I have the option to read the book first or watch the film first.

Next, a glow stick. I'm all up for doomsday prepping so this is an excellent addition to the apocalypse theme.

This made me laugh when I saw this. A Twinkie. Yes, I've had one before and wrote about it in my film review, but I totally appreciate the Zombieland reference here. If people didn't understand they don't deserve the Twinkie!

Now, the limited edition t-shirt. I ordered a men's large because I'm so tall (5ft 11") however, this proved to be a bit of a mistake on my behalf. The t-shirt is huge! I recommend getting your actual size or even a size smaller. I don't play Fallout but I believe it's the Vault-Tec guy. I know, I don't deserve the t-shirt, but yellow isn't my colour really and the t-shirt is huge so I'll probably give it to a good friend. All in all, a pretty cool t-shirt though.

Last, but not least, a Funko Mystery Mini. I was hoping more for a Walking Dead Funko Pop, but a Mystery Mini will do just fine. I got the burnt zombie (certainly looks burnt to me). Which is pretty cool, my cat loved it - she wouldn't leave it alone.

Finally, I am pretty chuffed with the content of this box. A lot of people say they were disappointed with their previous boxes but I loved this box. You can see for yourself there's high quality stuff, big brand names and imports.  Definitely worth it, thank you, My Geek Box.

[Television] Z Nation Premieres In The USA

I was reading around and I came across a new television show which started on Friday, 12th September 2014 on Syfy. I was disappointed to find that it was only in the USA considering that we have that channel in England too. I looked in the TV Magazine thinking I'd missed it, but it wasn't in there either. I watched the trailer and it seemed pretty cool. A lot of people are saying it's no match for The Walking Dead, but who cares? We need some more diversity in the way of Zombie TV. These zombies are fast, and the fast ones are the scariest.

Here's the trailer: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=iqbHm6RTHHM

You can watch the first episode on Syfy's website, I think. I haven't tried to yet because it keeps telling me to download their free app. Also, I'm not 100% sure that this episode will even be viewable in the UK. I might download the app then get told that the content is not supported in my country.

Well... Sifting heavily through the FAQs I managed to find the answer.

"This service is only available to customers of participating U.S. TV providers watching in the U.S."

Sucks. 

Hopefully Z Nation will get a UK air date and hopefully us English can actually watch it. In the mean time I'm hoping to find a site somewhere. Fingers crossed. 

[Film] Romero's Original Six (1968 - 2009)

Here it is, my long awaited review of Romero's original six zombie films. Starting with the classic trilogy and finishing up with his last three, adding up to a final six. Of course, I've seen these all before, but I wanted to re-watch them and then write the reviews so I got it spot on. I believe that any one who is starting to get interested in zombies should probably start with these films, so to me, they are the most important. I know it took a while, but I hope it was worth it.

What I love about Romero's films is that he has cameos in them. He has a cameo in Night Of The Living Dead, Dawn Of The Dead, Day Of The Dead, Land Of The Dead and Diary Of The Dead. See if you can spot him too!

Night Of The Living Dead (1968) - The first, the great, the original. Night Of The Living dead was the one that started it all and led to us having a great range of zombie films that we have today. All zombie films owe this one a thanks really, for getting them started. Having grown up in a generation where CGI and gory effects have spiralled out of control and are at their peak, you watch this film and really appreciate the root of zombie greats. The simplicity of the zombies could in fact be scarier - you wouldn't 100% know if they are a zombie or not! Considering this film was classed as controversial at the time of its release, you do feel like you go into a time warp and feel the fear that teens of the 1960's felt (being in black and white and all). If you don't know where to start, why not start here at the beginning of it all?

Dawn Of The Dead (1978) - In this film we see the characters do what we all pretty much would think of doing if an apocalypse was upon us - lock down in a massive shopping mall. Come on, we all thought of at least, if you get it right it would be the perfect place to stay. But, however, not when a local biker gang decide to break in. Brilliant film, definitely worth a watch.

Day Of The Dead (1985) - I really enjoyed this film, it is different from your average zombie film. The living are forced underground into a military area and half work together, the other half, not so much. The first half are really interesting as they experiment with zombies to know the why, how and what they are capable of learning, which leads to everyone's favourite zombie... Bub! The second half, military men, are a bit closed minded, and here we can see where The Walking Dead team were influenced when it came to their character, the Governor. I don't understand why this film was seen as a bit of a come down compared to the other two, I suppose there was less zombie air time, but there is still a good chunk of it.

Land Of The Dead (2005) - Twenty years zombie fans were awaiting for this addition to the original trilogy. Land of the Dead - when zombies get smart. With better graphics in those twenty years, Romero's films just get gorier, and that is most definitely a good thing! In this film the zombies prove they can actually learn, linking with the evolution of Bub, which means it isn't just bites that the living should be worried about. In this film we get a little zombie cameo from a zombie who appears in Dawn Of The Dead, what a great touch.

Diary Of The Dead (2008) - Hand held cameras from first person experiences but don't let that put you off, Romero has done it again with his amazing knowledge of the horror genre. Loads of gore, typical Romero style of blood and guts everywhere. I believe this was the worst rated by critics of the previous four, but I thought it was one if the best. It still maintained a gripping, interesting a blood filled story line. I liked this one a lot.

Survival Of The Dead (2009) - As usual a complete gore fest, within the first two minutes someone's head gets blown to bits. It's based on the army guys from Diary Of The Dead, the ones who tell the guy to turn the camera off, although nobody else from Diary Of The Dead is in this one. To be honest I can sort of understand why this was the lowest rated of all six. There is a story line, they go to an island, two main men of the island disagree, one believes the zombies should be put down, the other believes they should be conditioned into eating things other than people. So there's effectively a sort of turf war. It's good but not my favourite.

The Walking Dead's Negan To Be Brought To Life On Television?!

Negan with his bat, 'Lucille.'

Yep! That's right. Anybody who reads The Walking Dead comics would certainly know about the brutal, immoral, nasty character of Negan from 'The Saviours'. Today, I found out that this infamous, villainous character may be brought straight to our screens in the television version of The Walking Dead!

(For those who don't know, Negan is 100 times worse than the Governor... That's all I'm going to say.)

If this is the case I feel very worried - and sorry for - many of the characters that we know and love today. Obviously the television series is different from the comics so different things do happen to different characters, but we have seen some of these bad things happen to just as big, and just as loveable characters, unfortunately they are also the ones who we deem as our favourites.

I would hate for the producers to bring his character in soon, I'd rather later, only because we have so much going on at the moment and there is so much story line in the comics to be done first.

Kirkman states however, that Negan might not appear until "somewhere like season 12." Blimey, we have a lot of The Walking Dead to look forward to!

Source: http://www.cinemablend.com/television/Walking-Dead-Planning-Give-Us-Scariest-Villain-Yet-67223.html

[Film] Dawn Of The Dead (2004) (Remake) Review

An outstanding remake of George Romero's original 1978 film of the same name, Dawn of the Dead, this one however brings it's gore content to a whole new level. One scene in particular will really get your guts going. Holed up in a shopping mall, the characters are different and there's pretty much a different storyline so no worries if you haven't seen the original, this one will be just fine to understand and follow. I suppose it's loosely based on the 1978 version, if you've seen the original, you will definitely enjoy the remake.

New Trailer For The Walking Dead Season 5!

We all received the Season 5 trailer of The Walking Dead which was released in San Diego Comic-Con recently. But AMC have decided to release another trailer which gives us a few more glimpses of Season 5! I tell you what I had goosebumps and chills watching it. Season 5 seems to be the most intense and brutal yet.

Many websites say that the video is not supported in this country (the UK). But I managed to find it on The Mirror's (newspaper) website.

It still has all of the original trailer, just some added seconds here and there, watch the updated trailer here: http://www.mirror.co.uk/tv/tv-news/walking-dead-series-5-watch-4183790

Night Of The Living Dead Graphic Novels - Trilogy Completed!

After receiving the third Night Of The Living Dead graphic novel by John Russo, Mike Wolfer and Thomas Aira I decided to read Volume #2 again and of course, start off, and finish, Volume #3. I think after the second read I appreciated the comics a lot more and seriously got into the story line and connected with characters, whereas before I found it a little hard to do. I think that I possibly got used to the writing style and that made me enjoy them so much more.

I love how they're based in the swinging sixties! I think this adds a different element to them and that makes these graphic novels individual in their own right because of this.

All I need to get now is the Aftermath series and this mini collection will be done.

You can read my original post here: http://thestrollingunwell.blogspot.co.uk/2014/07/night-of-living-dead-graphic-novels.html

(Apologies for the glare on the photo)
I know you're thinking 'but there are four books, that's not a trilogy!' The first book in the picture, as mentioned in my linked post above, is just a preview book of the three graphic novels (the next three books in the picture). You can also read about that book in my previous post (above).

[Film] Night Of The Living Dead (1990) (Remake) Review

If I remember correctly, this was the first zombie film I ever watched. I was 15 and I watched it in 2009, I remember watching it with my mum because we both couldn't sleep. I absolutely loved it, but for some reason I never thought to sought out other zombie films, especially those of Romero. Maybe it was because I was a measley fifteen years of age and all of Romero's greats were rated 18.

I believe this film sparked something in my mind, something, a flame maybe, that wasn't relit until I was about 17/18. Of course, being 2009 The Walking Dead had not yet been released, and Season 1 would not air for at least another year. So my zombie passion was just with film, and after I realised it, I noticed a whole new world of zombie medium.

I thank this film, for starting that love and I love this film a significant amount. I feel it compliments Romero's Night Of The Living Dead wonderfully. It will always have a special place in my heart. I like the fact that even though it is based on the original characters, the storyline differs in many places from the original 1968 version.

A cool thing is that at London Film and Comic Convention I managed to find a really cool original film cell of this film.

If you want to read about that experience, you can do so here: http://thestrollingunwell.blogspot.co.uk/2014/08/night-of-living-dead-film-cell-lfcc-3.html

The Walking Dead Graphic Novel Volume #21, All Out War, Part Two

I received volume #21, All Out War: Part Two for my birthday, it took me ages to getting round to reading it but tonight I finally picked it up, started it and finished it.

Finally, after leaving on rather large cliff hangers of the previous 2/3 graphic novels, it's good to see everything coming to a head and wrapping up nicely. Considering I get the graphic novels when they come out and not the comics weekly, I have to wait a considerable amount of time before I can read the next set of comics. That is probably the downside to not collecting weekly comics, although I do prefer the graphic novels, they sit on the shelf rather well and look neat. Collecting the novels means waiting and during that time you tend to not be as fresh on remembering the previous novels, obviously only really remembering the huge, plot holders. From what I remember of the previous two, they seemed to end in the same sort of way: unresolved.

I felt the last few novels dragged a bit, having the same sort of endings. This novel however, tied up the loose ends and I really did appreciate it. I'm excited for Volume #22 to see what happens after where this one left off.

[Television] Walking Dead Companion Series/Spin Off Series Announced

Today I learnt that there is going to be a Walking Dead 'spin off' type series of other goings on in Robert Kirkman's post-apocalyptic world!

This could either go really really well, or be an absolute disaster. The characters from the original Walking Dead will not be in it but I'm wondering if it is based around the characters such as Lilly, Bob, Josh and all the other characters from the Governor novels written by Kirkman or if it is going to be completely different people? The article says it will be based on other people, but considering it is in such early stages of planning, I don't see why the likes of Lilly won't be able to at least make a cameo appearance. Kirkman has already stated that it would not be set in Georgia, for obvious reasons, but it would be interesting as to where? Will it still be in the States or will he opt for another country, like England? My bet is the States though, it's easier for them.

However, it may go insanely wrong as if it is based on others, they could run the risk of using up all of their ideas. Ultimately making both series very similar - and nobody wants that. Considering how greatly received The Walking Dead dead is, Kirkman and AMC would surely not want to jeopardise the raging success that they currently have, right? Kirkman has already addressed this subject as he too can understand that the viewers do not want the writers to appear to have sold out. 

I, however, cannot wait for this series to air, I'm really looking forward to it! Hopefully it'll be amazing just like The Walking Dead itself. 

Read about it here: http://insidetv.ew.com/2014/09/05/walking-dead-companion-series/

[Television] The Walking Dead, Seasons 1, 2 & 3

If you have ready my previous posts you would already know and understand my love for The Walking Dead. I'm not going to write a review as I would just be repeating myself. I've already written a type of review so I'll just post the link for you guys to go back to and read, I'll also post the links to the Graphic Novels and Book reviews in case you would like the read those - presuming you have managed to stumble randomly across this page!

What I do love about The Walking Dead though is that it is focused on people surviving after the zombie apocalypse, whereas most films concentrate on the early stages of the apocalypse. Here we see what people do to survive and what people can possibly turn in to... Other than zombies.

Here is another addition to my collection though, The Walking Dead Seasons 1, 2 & 3 on DVD. Cannot wait for Season 4 to be released!

Links:

First post, ultimately my review of the 1-4 Seasons: http://thestrollingunwell.blogspot.co.uk/2014/07/pre-apocalyptic-endeavours.html

The Walking Dead Graphic Novels #1 - #20: http://thestrollingunwell.blogspot.co.uk/2014/07/the-walking-dead-graphic-novels-1-20.html

The Walking Dead Survivors' Guide: http://thestrollingunwell.blogspot.co.uk/2014/07/the-walking-dead-survivors-guide-1.html

The Walking Dead Chronicles: http://thestrollingunwell.blogspot.co.uk/2014/07/the-walking-dead-chronicles.html

The Walking Dead Governor Books: http://thestrollingunwell.blogspot.co.uk/2014/07/twd-special-governor-books.html

The Walking Dead 100 Project: http://thestrollingunwell.blogspot.co.uk/2014/08/the-walking-dead-100-project.html

[Film] Zombieland (2009) Review

My past few film reviews have been on Zombie films based in good old England. Zombieland, however, is based in the U.S. Of A. This film is hilarious and gory - just how it should be.

Compared to the comical Cockneys Vs Zombies I prefer Zombieland a hundred times over, it's cast is amazing, especially Woody Harrelson and Bill Murray! Zombieland made me laugh, whereas Cockneys... Not so much. I would say this film is a slight RomCom with a gory edge, and I thoroughly enjoyed it, definitely one of my favourite zombie films.

The problem with Cockneys Vs Zombies - like many zombie films - it was quite a budget film, Zombieland is great in the fact that it was a high budget film and it's great to see zombies being put on the big screen after Romero's classics.

I even bought a Twinkie, yes, in England, for the shocking price of £1.49 to see what all the fuss was about. (If you've seen this film, you'd understand what I mean, if not, watch it! It's a must see). Spongy, yellow and delicious? Yeah I suppose it was, but I wouldn't risk my life for one!